


"My Guy in the Chair."

by Autumn_Endergem



Series: The Orange Place [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Karen is best girl, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Mentioned Ned Leeds (Spider-Man), Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, The soul stone is a place, mentioned Tony Stark, someone please give them a break, that they are stuck in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22325755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Autumn_Endergem/pseuds/Autumn_Endergem
Summary: Peter and Karen are still stuck in the Soul Stone, and Peter decides to make videos for Ned and Aunt May to pass the time.
Relationships: Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming) & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker
Series: The Orange Place [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1606357
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	"My Guy in the Chair."

“Hey Ned! It's me again, obviously." Peter greeted his best friend through the video he had Karen recording. He held the spider suit mask in his hand, pointing the eyes at himself as if it were a normal camera. 

According to Karen, it had been three days since Peter had woken up in the ‘Orange Place', as he'd so unoriginally named it. 

After suffering through multiple panic attacks during the first 15 hours, Peter decided the best thing to do was start exploring in the hopes of finding a way out. 

He quickly discovered just how painful the silence and loneliness could be, even with Karen there. So he decided to start filming short vlogs like he'd done in the past, to distract himself.

Luckily he'd figured out pretty quickly that the atmosphere of the 'Orange Place' was indeed breathable so he didn't have to wear his mask all the time. 

And he also remembered about the suit's built in camera and recording software. Karen was very excited to help Peter film his videos. He suspected she may have been getting a little bored as well.

“I know I've told you about it before, but I still can't get over how crazy it is that I don't need to eat anymore!” Peter grinned at the mask. 

“You know I've always had to eat more after the bite because of my metabolism or whatever, but I've been here three days so far and I'm not even hungry!”

Food was something that he hadn't even thought about until Karen pointed out that it had been hours since his last meal; the rushed breakfast he had with May before racing off to catch the bus for his school trip to MoMA. 

His memories had started coming back to him as well. When he first woke up, the past week had been nonexistent for him. But slowly he'd begun filling in the blanks.

He remembered Flash knocking him into his locker on Tuesday and then MJ snapping at him. That was fun to watch. 

He remembered the bus journey to the Museum of Modern Art, and jumping out the window after seeing the weird flying donut ship thing.

He remembered finding Mr Stark fighting some aliens or something and then chasing a wizard? That was as far as his memories reached. 

“I'm not tired either.” Peter demonstrated by waving his arms about as he spoke, having way too much energy than that of a usual teen his age. 

Then again, he'd always had more energy than other kids so maybe not much had changed in that regard.

“I still sleep though; old habits and all that. It just feels weird not to.” He decided not to tell his friend how it was also one of the only things that gave him any sense of the normality that he longed for.

Karen was the only reason that Peter had any idea of the time that had passed. Tony programmed her to alert Peter when he was still out patrolling at 10:30pm because, "Your Aunt will kill me if she knows I let you stay out past 11 on a school night." 

The first night had been the hardest. When Karen told him it was nearly eleven, Peter curled up into a ball on the floor and wished more than anything that he was back in his apartment, in his own bed, with May just on the other side of the door. 

He ended up crying himself to sleep. 

“Mr Stark would love it here." Peter joked.

"He'd finally be able to work nonstop without having to rely on cups of coffee to keep him awake.” Peter chuckled at the image his mind conjured up of his mentor's reaction to the knowledge he could work with no constraints.

The noise got stuck in his throat the second time he tried to laugh, and Peter twisted in on himself slightly as he started sobbing quietly. 

That was another thing; the smallest thought could sometimes send him off into a panic. 

The camera that was trained on Peter shifted as he clenched his fists around the mask he was holding. 

"I really wish he was here. He said he would always come when I need him." Peter whined, not caring how young it made him sound.

Dammit, he was stranded alone in a terrifying empty and orange landscape, with no obvious signs of escape; he was allowed to cry as much as he liked.

Peter frantically rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm before pulling the mask up and angling it back at himself. 

“I still haven't come across anything. Or anyone..” He grew silent for a few minutes, staring at the floor in quiet contemplation.

Peter suddenly looked up and smiled into the camera weakly. “But it's okay! I still have Karen with me and she's great company!”

A voice piped up from within the mask, broadcasting through the outer speakers.

“Thank you, Peter. You're great company too!” 

Karen's comment put a genuine smile on Peter's face and his chest burst with affection for the AI. 

"Thanks, Karen. I'm really glad you're here." 

Peter swept his vision across the orange horizon before he sighed and gazed at the camera once more. 

"I really miss you, Ned. I hope you're alright." He then thought about Ned's family, along with MJ and her family. Hell, he even thought about Flash. 

"I hope everyone's alright." He added firmly.

It was quiet for a few more moments until Peter perked up, shooting a grin at the camera lense.

"But hey, as my Guy in the Chair, I know that you'll hold the fort down while I'm gone." The boy mock saluted at the mask, knowing that Ned would find it funny and almost definitely salute back. 

"Anyway, I should probably stop recording now. Gotta make sure I have space to document my great escape." Peter laughed quietly. "See you soon, bud."

As soon as Karen confirmed that she'd stopped recording, the forced grin slid away, leaving a grimace in its place. Peter felt like he had just lied straight to his best friends face, and it made him sick. 

"Peter?" Karen said softly, as if aware of the nausea the boy was feeling. 

"It's only 4pm. Would you like to keep exploring before making another video for your Aunt?" She asked, hoping the offer would catch his attention and distract him from his thoughts.

The teen stood up a little straighter and rolled his shoulders. 

"Right. Yeah, I'll do that."

Peter rubbed at his eyes once more before pulling the mask on over his head, waiting a few seconds for it to reconnect with the rest of the suit.

The familiar interface popped up in his vision and he sighed.

He watched as Karen ran a suit diagnostic discreetly in the corner of the screen, just like she did every time he put the mask on.

"Let's go, shall we?"


End file.
